Fire-escape.



W. J. TODD.

FIRE ESCAPE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 16, 1910.

, 1 007 255 Patented Oct. 31,1911.

SHEETSSHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPM C0.. WASHINGTON. D. n..

Patented 001. 31, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

altoa'mmg COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH Eli-,WASHXNGTON. n. c.

W. J. TODD.

FIRE ESCAPE. 1 APPLICATION FILED JULY 16, 1910.-

1,007,255. V Patented Oct. 31, 1911.

3 SHEETS-15331 3.

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COLUMBIA FLANOGRAPH C0" WASHINGTON. u. c.

WILLIAM JEROME TODD, or DENVER, COLORADO.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.-

Application filed July 16, 1910. Serial No. gaze-1 To all whom it 001mm:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM JEROME TODD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, State of Colorado, have in vented a new and useful Improvement in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in fire-escapes in which an endless chain car ries platforms or cages from the landing at each story of the building to the ground or lower landing, thereby lessening the danger to people escaping from a burning building who are generally excited and prone to fall while climbing down the ordinary fire-escape ladders. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a cross-section of the govern-- ing mechanism and an elevation of the sprocket wheels, platform in a descending position and a portion of the chain of the complete mechanism, attached to a brick building. Fig. 2 represents a rear view of the complete mechanism attached to a building showing the two sprocket wheels, the endless chain, governor, and platforms in an ascending position. Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-section of the governing mechanism. Fig. 4: is a cross-section of the governing mechanism upon the lines m of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail showing the platform in a descending position and the chain. Fig. 6 is a top view of the platform and a crosssect-ion of the guide shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a side view of the platform in an ascending position showing its connection to the endless chain. Fig. 8 is an end view of the roller bearings carrying the sprocket wheels. Fig. 9 is a cross-section of Fig. 8 upon the lines .2 .2. Fig. 10 is a side view of the platform in a descending position.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a sprocket wheel a which is supported above the level of the highest floor of the building on a shaft (Z, which is supported by roller bearings e and f. These roller bearings are held in place by rigid arms 9, h, which are firmly bracketed to the building. A similar sprocket wheel 0 is supported on a shaft d at a lower point of the building, the said shaft having its bearings in a frame 0' which projects from the wall of the building. On the said lower shaft d is a beveled gear 0. An endless sprocket chain In connects the wheels a and c, and on the inner side of it's vertical leads are' vertical guides a which are here shown; as T-rails each of which presents a flange 71/ and transverse flanges n To the leads of the chain at suitable regular distances apart are secured pairs of plates 7). These plates operate on theou'ter sides of the guides a and'are provided with tip-standing flange arms 6 which extend around two sides of the flan es a? of the guides,- and are pro vided with anti-friction r'ol lers or disks m which bear on the rear sides of said flanges 01?. The said plates are also provided at their lower ends with disks or rollers m which bear on the outer sides of the said guides n V A latform 2' is pivotally connected as at 5 to each pair of plates l) and is adapted to be'disp'osed either in a horizontal position or in a vertical position,- and each platform is provided on its lower side near its inner end, with a brace arm j which extends at right angles thereto. Each platform as it passes over the upper wheel a turns on its p1vot 5', and assumes a horlzontal p'osltion on the descending lead of the chain, its brace arm 7' bearing against the plates 7) and supporting said platform in such horizontal position, as will be understood. Each platform on the ascending lead of the chain lies in vertical position as indicated in Fig. 2. Each platform is large enough to hold one or more persons, and the building on which the fire escape is used is provided at the different floors with balconies or other similar structures which extend nearly to the descending lead of the chain, and enable persons to readily step from said balconies on to the horizontally disposed platforms i.

I employ a governing mechanism to regulate the speed of the descending platforms. The bevel gear 0 is engaged by a bevel gear 0 at the lower end of a shaft .9, which is vertically disposed, and its bearings in a casing 2 which is carried by the frame 0. This casing has an inverted frusto-conical upper portion T. A similarly shaped brake element R which is splined to the shaft 8 for rotation therewith, and vertical movement thereon, is disposed in the conical portion T of the casing z and is connected by means of spring rodsQ, to a head 9 which is fastened to the shaft 8 near its lower end.

Centrifugally acting balls R are attached to the spring rods Q: and serve as will be understood to draw the brake element R downwardly and frictionally engage it to the conical portion T of the casing 2 so as to regulate the speed of the chain and the platforms carried thereby.

The lower shaft (l revolves in roller bearings 1, held in place in the bearing cone 2, and upon its shaft (Z is a brake wheel 3. A suitable brake-shoe is provided on a lever l to be operated by persons upon the platforms or landings. The platforms 2' may be inclosed in cages if desired, and the ordinary fire escaping ladder used in conjunction with this device.

When a person in an upper story steps upon one of the platforms 2', his weight sets the endless chain in motion, and he is carried safely to the bottom landing. Upon its return as hereinbefore stated, the platform swings upon its pivot 5, and assumes a verbear on the outer and inner sides of the guide, and platforms pivotally connected to the said plates and adapted to assume either a horizontal or a vertical position, each platform having a brace arm to support the same, by engagement with one of the plates, in a horizontal position on the descending lead of the chain.

2. In a fire escape the combination of a pair of sprocket wheels mounted one at a higher point than the other, an endless sprocket chain connecting said sprocket wheels, a fixed vertical guide disposed on the inner side of the descending lead of the chain, said guide being T-shaped in cross section, and having transverse flanges on its outer side, a pair of plates secured to the chain having a pair of rollers at their lower ends, bearing on the outer side of the guide, and also having upwardly extending flange arms provided with bearing rollers which engage the inner sides of the flanges of the guide rail, and a platform carried by the said pair -of plates and pivotally connected thereto, to swing from a horizontal to a vertical position, said platform being provided,

with a supporting arm to bear on the plates, and support the platform in a horizontal position.

lVILLIAM JEROME TODD.

\Vitnesses GoBIN STAIR, MARIE DIETSOI-I.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

